Near Distance celebrates natural Utah. The installation, which is thirty feet wide and eleven feet tall, offers a calming focal point near the high-traffic security screening area of the New SLC International Airport.

Utah artists Hannah Vaughn, Soonju Kwon, and Reihaneh Noori used local materials – embedding layers of charcoal, Great Salt Lake salt, and flecks of copper into plaster panels. These panels frame a dark horizon punctuated by several small voids in the installation. The artwork expresses humanity’s shared horizons and our home between earth and sky, while evoking Utah’s stark and sublime landscapes.

The artists write, “Its 3-dimensional presence aims to give layers to the experience and emphasize movement with subtle vertical shifts between the panels. The work ties into the greater narrative of the airport and marks a moment of calmness, gravity, and groundedness before the traveler emerges into the luminous main concourse.”

This project was made possible through collaboration between the New SLC International Airport and the Salt Lake City Arts Council Public Art Program.

Photos Courtesy of New SLC Airport and Hannah Vaughn, Reihaneh Noori, and Soonju Kwon